My Gift To YOU.

During this holiday season, I want you to spend some time and relax. Don't think about work, politics, the economy . . . anything. What do I want you to do? Those things that make life special — spend time with friends and family, read a good book, watch a fun video, catch that movie you've been wanting to see. Every year, I take off the last two weeks of December to do a few things:

• Relax - Sit back, enjoy my tea by the wood stove.
• Meditate - Take time out each day to reflect and be grateful.
• Plan - Brainstorm new ideas for my practice and life.

To help YOU relax, I've linked to some of my favorite books, videos, and music I've experienced this year. ENJOY!

BOOKS

The Graveyard Book By Neil Gaiman In The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman has created a charming allegory of childhood. Check out the Audible version too - read by Neil Gaiman - one of the best narrators around.

Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Tim Ferriss I love Tim Ferriss' podcast. Even though he has the best guests with incredible advice, I don't have time to take copious notes while listening. This book is a great resource for reviewing the critical things said without having to scroll through hours of audio.

The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday A treasure for managing our choices, overcoming self-deception, and learning to act according to the true worth of things while keeping the common good always in view. Caring for the soul in this way makes not only better people, but a stronger society too.

VIDEOS

Innovative Leadership: Scott Galloway (start at the 4:00 mark) One of the World Economic Forum’s Global Leaders of Tomorrow, which recognizes 100 individuals whose accomplishments have had impact on a global level, his video series Winners & Losers, has garnered the attention of viewers globally. If you like this - you can watch this one too.

One Day Builds: Adam Savage Makes Something Wonderful from Scratch Watch Adam build, from start to finish, a stylized box to carry and display his Blade Runner Blaster prop replica. The entire project took less than one day to complete, and Adam narrates this video with commentary about his design and construction methods.

Cam Closer One of the scariest short videos on YouTube today. I love this stuff!

The Birth Of A Wooden House This is a documentary movie uncovering the process of building a wooden house with mostly hand tools from (as much as possible) local natural materials starting from forest till the living space.

The World In 2050 - Dr. Peter Diamandis Co-Founder of Singularity University and Founder of the X-Prize - United States of America - He shared insights on how bright the future looks and what are the trends that will shape the world as we know it in the next 25 years.

MUSIC

Shakey Graves - Roll the Bones - Audiotree Live First Aid Kit - America (Live at Polar Music Prize) Maggie Rogers - Alaska Dan Auerbach - Goin' Home Caravan Palace - Rock It For Me (live at Le Trianon, Paris) Sigur Ros "Untitled 3"

See you in 2017!

Treading Water Is The Same As Drowning.

Many people today feel they are just 'one bad decision away' from losing their job or business. So instead of making decisions, they make NO decision. Or if they have to make a decision, they take the least offensive, least impactful, least expensive, and most spineless way out. Most of the time, that's the wrong thing to do.

What happens? You ensure management is happy while you infuriate your staff, vendors, and smart clients.

Who thinks big and takes chances? Apple.

• In 1998 — they launched the iMac without a floppy disk drive ("How will we transfer files?).
• In 2007 — they launched the iPhone - no experience (joining the fray with huge, entrenched leaders).
• In 2010 — they launched the MacBook Air without a DVD drive ("How will I watch movies?").
• In 2016 — they launched a new MacBook Pro with 4 USB-C ports ("How will I connect my stuff?).

Each time the media made fun of them and pundits attacked. One year later, everyone embraced the change and moved forward. The result? One of the biggest companies on the planet with a product line admired by all.

To move up and to be noticed by the people that matter, you need to be bold and sometimes stick your neck out. You might hit a home run (most of the time) and sometimes, you might get it cut off (rarely).

That's why I suggest to my clients that they all have INSURANCE. For example:

• An up-to-date résumé, done by a professional, ready to be distributed at a moment's notice.
• A polished and professional LinkedIn page, with recent professional headshot, testimonials, etc.
• Actively networking and connecting with movers and shakers outside of your sphere.
• Learning new things about your industry, taking classes, reading books and writing about what you learn.
• Attending events (industry symposiums, charities, etc.).
• Finally, hire a coach — they help you perform at your peak and help you make the tough decisions.

Once you have those things in your back pocket, it's not that hard to make the tough decisions that need to be made.

Here's a powerful scene with John Goodman (it's a bit rough with the language — but you'll get the gist):

The Best Books I Recommend.

I'm asked all the time by clients and attendees to my keynotes/workshops/seminars to recommend my favorite books. My assistant and I took some time over the weekend and made a new page that lists my favorites. Enjoy!

Visit The Best Books.